Having missed the contest against the Lakers, Paul George’s return to the Clippers lineup still seems to be dangling in the mix. With the Wizards coming to town tonight, the Clippers would look to get the taste of the bitter Lakers loss out of their system. However, with Paul George missing the game, the Clippers will have their work cut out for them. As per the official injury report, Paul George has been listed as Questionable by the Clippers training staff due to soreness in his left knee. This leaves most of the offensive load on Kawhi Leonard and the rest of the Clippers.
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Without Paul George in the starting lineup, fans have wondered how Kawhi would perform without the threat of PG on the wing or the three-point line. Here is a breakdown of Leoanrd’s performance without George from 2019.
Kawhi has taken the offensive load upon himself whenever there was no Paul George in the lineup. As per Statmuse, Leonard has played a total of 48 games without George since 2019.
NBA Play #3
Kawhi Leonard O 33.5 PR (-106 FD)
Paul George is out today
He has gone over this line 3/4 games WITHOUT Paul George
34 PR
40 PR
40 PR
28 PR (38.9 FG%)Kawhi Leonard has also gone over 2/3 games against the Lakers this year
36 PR
23 PR (35.0 FG%)
44 PR (No… pic.twitter.com/n5f8fD4glP— Chasing Dimes (@ChasingDimes) February 28, 2024
The Klaw averaged 28.1 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 4.9 APG whenever he was the main and only option on offense. In the 47 games he played, Leonard’s worst scoring night saw only 12 points from him and on his best night, Kawhi even had 43 points in George’s absence.
These stats from 2019 may not give the best or the most accurate picture as we’re in the 2023-24 NBA season right now. So, let’s have a look at Leonard’s season averages from this year without Paul George on his side.
Kawhi Leonard has only played five games without Paul George this season. The five-time All-Star has faired evenly without PG this season as well as he averaged 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his absence.
How far can Kawhi Leonard lead the Clippers?
The Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the better teams in the Western Conference. The Clippers are currently at the fourth spot in the West with a 37-19 overall record so far as they hope to improve it further.
The Los Angeles Clippers traded for James Harden earlier this season which ended up sending Russell Westbrook to the bench. However, the reason for the Clippers success this season was not that trade.
Instead, it has been Kawhi Leonard. Leonard had been dealing with injuries these past few years that always kept him sidelined from the action. But with a healthy Leonard in their corner, the Clippers have been making the most of it this season.
Los Angeles is in a race for the top spot in the West with three other teams. The Timberwolves currently sit pretty at the top spot, followed by the Thunder and the Nuggets. It would be an interesting sight to see the Clippers pick their first championship in their last year at Crypto.com Arena. However, we’ll have to wait and watch how they handle the final stretch of the season.
